


I don't know all the titles in the universe, lady!

by Madame_Klancealot



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, BAMF Allura (Voltron), Books, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cute, Drabble Collection, Established Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Ficlet Collection, Funny, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Keith & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Sassy Pidge | Katie Holt, Serious, Shorts, Soft Keith/Lance (Voltron), Work, a lot of this shit really happened, annoying customers, i dont know what im doing, i hope these are funny, old people who know nothing, stupid realistic bookstore stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-03-01 13:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18801358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madame_Klancealot/pseuds/Madame_Klancealot
Summary: (Please tell me you read the title in Lance's voice)Basically the gang from Voltron working at Voltron Tomes having the time of their life facing annoying customers, bad bosses and trying to enjoy their shifts with awesome coworkers (sometimes) and experiencing the typical annoying shit that involves working in retail.- A lot of these stories will be based on real life experiences from working in a bookstore.





	1. I remember it being blue

**Author's Note:**

> Eyy yo. So I got inspired by some awesome drabbles about working in fast food, and wanted to do my own take from working in a bookstore for 8 years, and lemme tell you, working in retail is...yeah...wait and see. 
> 
> I'm not funny, I'm going to try, but these short ficlets will just be putting the characters in the stories and I'll see from there what will happen to them. I hope you enjoy them, and if this gets a positive response I'll write more. 
> 
> Note: Bookstores in Norway are super, duper small compared to bookstores in America so if there are some things you don't get, or the conventions are different from what you are used to it's because a lot of the customers are based on Norwegian people. Haha x)

“Hi, how are you? Anything I can help you with today?” Lance asked cheerful behind the till as it were a nice quiet day at Voltron Tomes. No annoying customers yet to cause havoc in the store, and Lance was counting down the seconds until a breakdown were to happen.

 

“Hi, I’m good. I’m looking for a specific book, it’s crucial you have it, I’ve heard wonderful things about it.” The elderly woman smiled nicely at Lance.

“Well you’ve come to the right place. Do you remember the title?” He had his hand on the mouse, ready to click on the search bar and punch in the book’s title.

“Uhm, no.”

“Name of the author?” He kept his voice chipper, swallowing down the annoyance boiling inside of his gut knowing where this was leading to.

“No…” The women kept on smiling at Lance.

“Do you remember what the book was about, then? Or its publication date? Genre?” Lance said through gritted teeth, forcing to keep his smile peeled.

“I don’t sorry, but I do remember the cover being blue!” The woman looked intently on Lance waiting for him to know exactly which book she was looking for.

 

“Sure! Why don’t we just check all of the blue books in this store.” Lance muttered under his breath.

“Excuse me?” The woman squinted at Lance, still waiting for the title of the book to magically appear on a blue cover.

 

Lance ran his fingers through his hair, sustaining any rude retorts, uncertain where to go from here when the woman clearly had no idea about the book she was looking for. Had she never heard of taking a picture of the book? Or maybe she could have remembered or written down a title or an author.

 

“Hey, Shiro?” Lance yelled for his coworker who was pricing the new releases at the front of the store to put them on their display.

“Yeah, Lance?” Shiro perked up from the tower of new releases.

“Wanna come help this nice lady find a book?” Lance smiled widely, the glint in is blue eyes not hinting at anything mischievous at all. “Shiro is our miracle worker, he’ll help you with your blue book problem.”

“Wonderful.” The woman smiled happily when Shiro took over Lance’s spot behind the till.

 

“Now which book were you looking for mam?” Shiro made a cute face at the woman.

 

Lance was on his way out of the store, when he heard from behind him..”Laaaance!”

 

“Sorry, Shiro! Break-time.” Lance chuckled wildly when he ran into Olkari Games across the hall with his tongue stuck out.

 

“What was it this time?” Pidge leaned bored over the counter.

“Lady didn’t know the title, the author, she knew nothing, only that the cover was blue...seriously, we’re not miracle workers.” Lance heaved a sigh, and stared at Shiro scratching his head wearing an apologetic look at the woman, then made a menacing stare at Lance. “Shoot...he’s gonna make me clean all the shelves now...oh well, worth it.”

“I bet.” Pidge snickered.

 


	2. Don't you guys know all of the books?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets the usual question from sweaty women in tight workout pants who think they own the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Women in their thirties after they've worked out were always my enemy...

The lady scared Lance when she slammed her palms on the counter screaming in his face. “I need a book!”

Lance had to fully wake up from his staring-into-space-don’t-want-to-work slumber before he noticed the sweaty woman in tight workout pants and a tank top screaming in his face. “And this is a bookstore..” He tried hard to break into a happy smile, but he was having enough shit this evening shift. They always came in the evening, when Altea mall was swarming with the creepers or the mothers done with their after-work workouts in the gym on the top floor.

 

His blue eyes bounced behind the lady to find Allura working the children’s section giving him a thumbs up, and a reassuring smile when the lady screamed in his face.

 

This was the fourth time in a row a lady in her thirties decided to think it was acceptable to scream in Lance’s face. He was a human being too, and it was his job to find them good books to read, no need to scream in his face, he’ll happily, or try to look happy, oblige to find them a book.

 

“You guys know all of the books in this store. I need a book I heard from my girlfriend the other day. I can’t remember the title or the author, but it was about world war 2, and a lost little girl and a man and a woman fall in love…” She kept on chattering about the book, and all Lance wanted to do was find a cute boy or girl in the shop to hit on.

“Sounds like a familiar book. Let’s have a look see.” He forced a chipper tone from his mouth while punching in the description of her book. She might as well have described every single romance novel known to be published to this date about world war 2, it’ll be a nightmare to figure out distinctly which book she was looking for.

The lady cocked a brow at Lance, planting her hands on her hips. “Excuse me, but this is very well-known book, my girlfriend told me so. Surely, you know which book I’m talking about and can go find it for me?”

 

Lance spotted Allura covering her mouth to choke down a laugh. She loved it when Lance had difficult customers, she always said it was like looking at a helpless puppy being scolded by their owner.

 

“Listen lady…” Lance cleared his throat trying very hard not to snap at the he presumed, married to a rich man who thought she was better than him woman, and planted that salesman smile back on his tan face. “I’m trying my best here to find out what book you want, and a lot of the books in our store have the same description as the one you told me. If you don’t know a title or a an author, I’m going to have to go through our database and find the book that’s most similar to your description, unless you remember what the cover looks like or any other details about the story?” Lance could feel his hand gripping the mouse harder and harder as the woman’s face became angrier and angrier.

 

“Or you could come here and have a look at our new releases, ma'am!” Allura shouted from the front of the store, showcasing our new releases display, saving Lance’s life.  
“I thought you guys knew all of the books!” She huffed out, turning on her heel to follow Allura’s voice.

 

“We don’t know all of the titles, who does she think we are, brainiacs? There are like thousands of different books in this store, I’m not using my precious time to learn all of the books…” Lance crossed his arms, letting out an exasperated breath.

 

Shiro snuck up from behind Lance. “It’s better than looking at cute boys on Tinder, Lance. I see you swiping during the quiet moments.”  
Lance craned his neck and caught Shiro’s gray eye make a flash of a wink.  
“Don’t you have like a hot cousin or brother or something? Wanna hook me up?”  
“I have a brother.” Shiro’s eyes glinted like he knew something Lance wanted to know. “You might meet him soon enough. Now stop swiping, these bookmarks aren’t going to be placed on their own.”  
Lance made a small whine. “You got a picture of him, Shiro?” He grabbed the box with the newly priced bookmarks, ready to make his way to the the stand.  
“Just wait and see, Lance.” He went back into the office.

 

“Lonce! I found the book!” Allura held the novel the lady was looking for in the air with a bright smile on her face, the lady looking pleased with a salesperson who knew their shit. Or, who was willing to do some digging.  
“Hey, I knew it had to be that one. If you’d given me more time to search, I’d find it eventually.”

 

That earned him a playful smirk from his white haired coworker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how chronological this is going to be, but, I feel like the story is coming along.


	3. They cost money!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura avoids asking a certain question..

Voltron Tomes was swarming with customers this Saturday afternoon. Easter break had officially begun and every single elderly man or woman needed a crime book to dig their noses in during the holiday.

 

“Alright, that’ll be $31,99.” Allura smiled with her best saleswoman smile, knowing she was going to win this month’s best book of the month seller since she was able to persuade this lovely younger woman the book for a reasonable price.

“I’m going to need a bag for these two books.” The young woman pointed out, holding the books in her hands, tilting them for Allura to see them. She saw them, and didn’t understand why the woman would need a bag when her hands were more than capable to bring them to her cart standing right next to her. Think about the environment, she thought, but that wasn’t the reason to why she avoided asking the woman for a bag.  
“Right...uhm...the bag costs 10 cents.” Allura told the woman, preparing her face for the usual..  
“They cost money!?” The young woman exclaimed, but shot her eyebrows up to her face while finding her wallet to pay Allura the total that was now $32, 09. “We never had to pay for the bags before. I don’t understand…” The woman sounded confused, fishing out a fifty and handing it to Allura.

Lance was standing by the cashier next to Allura, listening in on the whole plastic bag debacle that pretty much happened regularly at Voltron Tomes after they were told to charge for the plastic bags. He considered pitching in the idea of selling tote bags with cute bookish prints, they'd have to sell like crazy.     
“The people who make the bags need their payment too, and it’s mostly to save the environment even if the bags decompose if you throw it on the ground.”  
The woman made an annoying _uh-huh_ , “Right, but you want me to pay an extra ten cents to advertise your store...sounds ridiculous.” She snatched the receipt and change from Allura’s dark hand, then the bag with her purchase as she turned on her heel. But she wasn’t done. “I’ll find a different bookstore to shop at next time.” Then she took her cart and strolled quickly out of the store.

 

“Have fun never going to a bookstore ever again. Can’t she just buy books online if it’s that hard to pay for a fuckin’ plastic bag.” Lance rolled his blue eyes, clicking away on the computer.  
“Lonce, you’ve been busy on that computer all day. Shiro’s gonna tell Adam what you’re doing and you might be given closing shifts all week. I know how much you hate closing shifts. Maybe you should walk around the store for a bit and see if anything needs cleaning, or pricing…”  
“Lur, there are like no people here. It’s a fuckin' ghost town. Adam’s not gonna care that I’m checking my Facebook. He does it all the time.”  
“How do you know that?” Allura moved to look at Lance’s computer, glancing at the store to make sure the coast was clear for customers. Empty.  
“Because he never logs out.” Lance cooed, turning the monitor to Allura.

 

They both laughed hysterically when they took in Adam’s profile picture of him and his boyfriend Shiro. “They look so adorable.” Allura pointed a finger at the profile photo of Adam and Shiro looking all cute at each other, and read the description of his bio. Which Lance found even more hysterical because who writes in their bios on Facebook?

 

 

 

> **Adam, 27, Assistant Manager at Voltron Tomes** **  
> ** **I love my boyfriend more than anything in the whole universe -** **  
> ** **Takashi you are the light of my life, the ember to my fire -  I looove you boo <3**

 

“What are two you laughing at?” Lance clicked and clicked on the x on the top right corner of the browser before Adam made his way over to have a look at what his coworkers were looking at.  
“Oh no, you just missed it. Now it’s gone forever.” Lance lied. “Hey, I’m going to see if that old lady needs any help”  
“What old lady?” Adam looked out at the store, but it was still a ghost town. His face went back to the monitor, then turned to look at Allura.  
“What was so funny?”  
“Cat video, Lonce was scared you’d yell at him for looking at videos at work.” Allura held her hands behind her back, eyes searching for Lance before they landed on Adam's curious face.   
“Can you show me?” Adam smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dunno when I'll make more of these. I had time at work to write them, was fun! Please lemme know if you like them too. :)


	4. Nice face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Incoming, insanely hot dude and Lance doesn't know what to say..

Who would have thought the evening shift at Voltron Tomes was going to go from a million customers to not a single soul roaming the whole mall in minutes?

 

Lance’s forehead was laced with a sheen of sweat when the final customer made his way out of the store, not one person emerging from the dead hallway on the first floor of Altea Mall, when he made a quick sweep outside the store with his eyes. There was thirty minutes left until closing time, and all Lance was thinking about at that moment was bundling up under a warm blanket and watching the latest episode of _Keeping up with the Kardashians._

 

Allura had the day off, Shiro left when Lance was starting his evening shift and Adam left a half hour over ago to leave Lance with the closing up shop routine like usual, because Adam hated the routine more than Lance and he was Assistant Manager and could do whatever he liked with the other workers at Voltron Tomes. Good thing Lance loved Adam as a substitute boss while Iverson, their current manager, was on vacation in the Bahamas for who knows how many times this year. He could waltz across the hall and bug Hunk at Olkari Games, but he knew someone was bound to find their way in the store if he left.

 

There was a sudden creeping feel in the store which Lance was familiar with. That feel that someone was going to sneak up on him the minute the clock chimed closing time. He just knew it. The customers, they could always smell that particular discomfort of him not wanting a single new customer in the shop right after he had cleaned the shelves, mopped the floor and counted the register so that he could do the routine in no time and clock out within a flash to make it to his program. Someone was bound to show up. It was minutes before closing time. 

 

He was standing behind the monitor, looking at new fantasy books (his section) to buy in for the shop when he heard a rapping of fingers on the counter. _So close_ . His mouth twitched to the side when he took in fair skinned fingers hugged in black leather gloves, rapping and rapping, trailing his blue eyes up the black of a leather pilot jacket, all the way until he was met with dark blue, almost violet, eyes  _¡Ay, Dios mío! This guy is fucking hot,_ Lance thought when he caught the face of a gorgeous guy making a sour face at Lance now.

 

“C-Can -” Lance cleared his throat when he stuttered a word at the incredibly hot guy, his eyes refused to look away, but Lance felt a warmth of embarrassment touch his ears when he felt he stared at the guy for too long. “Can I help you?” His lips forced a pull on his face, but his bottom lip was quivering.

 

The guy, who Lance noticed had his black hair up in a high ponytail, made a tired look when he presented a white piece of paper and smacked it on the counter. “Heard a rumor you guys are hiring?” The guy had his eyes closed, hand still rested on the piece of paper which Lance assumed was an application to apply for the latest opening spot at their store.

 

Lance slid the paper out of the guy’s grasp, and held it firmly between his fingers. “We sure are, I’ll make sure our assistant manager gets it.” He made a real smile this time, one he hoped flustered the insanely hot dude standing in front of him.

 

The guy lifted his face to level it with Lance’s and made a crooked grin, revealing a canine tooth. “Make sure he does.” His violet eyes landed on Lance’s mouth, then bobbed them up to his blue eyes when he said, “Nice face.” Then turned on his heels and left the store, leaving Lance speechless.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously had a guy buy a book then say those exact words "nice face" to me and he left. He was cute (I'm married, and had a boyfriend at the time), but I don't take compliments well. hahahaha


	5. Guarding someone else's store

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, this happened one too many times when I used to work in a mall...it was tiring, and I never dared to ask the store myself whenever I was alone during a shift...

Between 3PM and 4PM, the store was usually quiet due to after work rush hours, except for maybe a small rush of customers from time to time in a span of ten minutes between each herd who needed either an office supply or wanted to buy a book.

 

Shiro was alone during this shift, Iverson left at 3PM. It was 3:53PM and Lance would come take over the next shift at 4. He wished time would sped faster since he needed to go home and shower before his date with Adam tonight, he was taking him to a nice restaurant (McDonalds).

 

Behind the counter he looked out at the somewhat squared shaped, not large, bookstore. There was a corner on the right side of the store where customers could be alone and not seen by the employees of Voltron Tomes. Shiro never thought that people would dare to steal anything even if they didn’t have alarms on their books, or alarms on the way out of the store for that matter. At Altea Mall, nothing as exciting as a petty theft happened. At least, not on the first floor. (Usually)

 

“Hey Shiro!?” Hunk called from the hallway between Olkari Games and Voltron Tomes.

 

3:56PM, Lance would be here soon. He made his way to stand between the store’s entrance and the hallway where Hunk stood with his thighs crossed forcefully.

 

“Hey Hunk, sup?”

“Uhh, can you like watch over my store while I go to the bathroom?” Hunk was bouncing on his heels.

 

Shiro lifted his black brows, glancing into the tiny video game store. A lopsided smile found his face when he looked at Hunk.

 

“Awesome, super, I won’t take long.”

 

Now this happened a lot with Hunk. He always drank too many energy drinks while on his shifts to keep himself awake and alive. But, this was a first time for Shiro, and he could feel the pull of a new herd coming before his shift was ending.

 

He looked into his store. Not a single customer. He sighed, then turned back to see five customers had walked in within a blink of an eye. _Dammit._

 

_“Aren’t there like people who work here!?”_

_“Helloooo, I need help finding a book for my daughter!”_

_“Where are the new backpacks?”_

 

Shiro could hear them shouting for him while he stood stuck in the middle of the hallway watching over Olkari Games like he was directing traffic.

 

3:59PM, Lance was always two minutes late, and the customers were making frowny faces while they stood by the register with either their arms crossed or wearing looks of disbelief, like the workers had vanished for some reason.

 

Shiro bit his lower lip, he hated being seen as unprofessional. He wanted Adam to be Manager once they got Iverson fired, but he didn’t want to receive complaints from their customers. Iverson would really have both his and Adam’s ass if that happened.

 

“Thanks man!” Hunk came back, and Shiro saw he was holding a Boba Tea with the logo _Balmera Blasters._

“Seriously, Hunk! You went to the toilets on the second floor just to go get a Boba!?”

“Shay was at work, had to say hi. I got this for you.” He smiled widely, stretching out and waving the second Boba at Shiro.  "It's matcha!!

 

He saw Lance on the escalator outside the store. Shiro grinned and snatched the Boba. “Thanks pal.”

 

“Hey Shiro, what is happen -” Lance looked inside the store to find all of the customers who were waiting for Shiro.

“They’re your problem now.” Shiro darted to the office to get dressed and sipped on his Boba while wearing a wicked grin at Lance.

 

Everyone loved Lance so he’ll sort this out in no time.

 

Lance furrowed his brows when he caught Shiro flashing past him in the store. “Traitor! You owe me a Boba….!”  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are the stories too detailed, is that okay. I want to make sure you guys like get the full picture...I'm having so much fun with these since they take me back, like two years ago...I kind of miss working in a bookstore :) 
> 
>  
> 
> Note: I don't mind Iverson, but he's the perfect character to compare to my last boss (who was awful at his job, and we all wanted him fired...he got moved to a different store in the end, thank God.)


	6. Please take the awful shifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets some eye-candy again

The rag fell out of Lance’s hand when he noticed the hot guy who applied for the opening spot spilled into the store.

 

“Lance, close your mouth. You look like an idiot in love.” Shiro bonked Lance’s chin to close his mouth before the hot guy could catch him ogling.

 

He swallowed, then moved his blue eyes back to the monitor. “Why is he here? Did he get the job!?” Lance asked Shiro while clicking on the register program for no apparent reason. He was too lost in thought about how much he hoped the hot guy would start working here, with Lance.

“He has his interview with Iverson today. I’m sure he’ll get the job, he looks like a hard worker. Don’t you think?” Shiro jabbed an elbow in Lance’s side before he perched up to the second cashier to greet a customer.

 

When the customer left with a satisfied grin after being expedised by Shiro, he turned to the side to give Lance a wink and a smile.

“Do you know him, Shiro?”  
“I might…” He made eyes out into the store, his smug smile growing deeper to catch his ears.  
“Tell me his username, pleaaaaaase?” Lance was holding his phone ready to swipe right.   
“So that you can find him on Tinder?” Shiro angled his head to Lance. His Voltron Tomes t-shirt was either shrinking when he washed it or Shiro was getting bigger, but that wasn’t anything to focus on at the moment.  
“Fuck yeah. I need to know if this guy is single and wants to mingle with Lancey-Lance!”  
“You know he’ll be your coworker, and if you hook up with him, it’ll get awkward if it doesn’t play out.”

 

Lance’s lips puckered to the side, his face of contemplation not lasting long. “Tell me his name and how you know him!” Lance leaned back and forth over the counter, greeting the customers who came into the store to look around.

 

“I knew you would like him…” Shiro cooed.  
“Well yeah, we’ve been working together for the past six months, you should know what I like. I don’t ever shut up.” Lance admitted, looking back at the office door where the hot guy disappeared into, hoping Iverson was going easy on him. He could be brutal with his underlings.  
“He’s my brother. I forced him to send an application here, he’s been nagging about getting a motorcycle, but they cost a fortune.”

“You did mention you had a brother, but I was picturing a cute little boy at around 10 or 12, not that.” Lance pointed to the closed door, his mouth almost watering.  
“Easy, tiger.”  
“How come you didn’t take his application at home and give it to Iverson, he went into the store super late the other day to give it to m--” Understanding found Lance when he caught Shiro’s pleased face, knowing his plan was in action. “You fucking set that up. You wanted me to see him, and beg for information about him….what do you want you fiend?”  
“I’ll tell you his name, and if he’s single and wants to mingle with this..” Shiro twirled a finger at Lance, noticing that the store had become dead. “If you take the weekend before school starts shifts..”

 

The weekend before a new school year started were the worst. Almost worse than Christmas eve. Screaming parents with their screaming children, the new season backpacks almost sold out and parents start screaming in your face because the most popular design is sold out because they were way too late with buying it and you couldn't tell them it was their fault for not coming earlier. 

 

Ugh, Lance had heard the rumors about that weekend, but he was desperate. “Fine.” He smiled at the postman coming in with a pallet of new inventory for the store, signing him off. “Now tell me your hot little brother’s name so that I can search for Tinder pics of him..”

 

Before Shiro could say anything, his little brother came out chattering with Iverson before making his way out of the store. He caught Shiro and waved at him. “Keith! Be here at 10AM sharp tomorrow, and Shiro can teach you the register and our system.” Iverson called with a strict voice. “Boys, there are people in the store, go to them..” Iverson slammed the door.

 

“Keith.” Lance said out loud, and the hot guy turned when he heard his name, smiling at Lance.  
“Looks like we’re coworkers now, let’s not start a rivalry.” He winked an indigo eye at Lance before saluting his brother and making his way out of the store.

 

Lance made a dreamy sigh. “You’re still taking that shift, Lance.” He heard Shiro say.  
“What!” Before he could protest, Shiro being the good brother and friend, showed Lance his brother’s Tinder profile. “You’re welcome.”  
“I’ll take all of the shifts you want, Shiro.”

 


	7. On second thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets a little fright

Keith was on his third shift with Shiro. Iverson wanted him paired with his big brother the first week to show him the ropes of Voltron Tomes, as he also didn’t want _the dumb one_ to show him _his_ ropes at the store. And mostly because he was still fresh only have been an employee at the store for six months, while Shiro had been working here with Adam for the past four years and that was how they wounded up dating, too.

 

“Hey little bro, seems like you’re getting the hang of it now.” Shiro patted his little brother proudly on the back when a new customer smiled brightly and murmured a squeaky _thank you_ on the way out.   
“You know I’m a fast learner, this bookstore stuff isn’t half bad. Thanks for hooking me up.”

 

The job wouldn’t be the only thing he’d hook him up with, Shiro thought as he greeted a family coming into the store looking at the new seasonal backpacks for kindergarteners.

 

“Hey. So, one, two, three…” Keith counted the books the girl had brought to the register, scanning them, wearing a serious face while he then stacked them on top of each other. “That’ll be $28,59. do you need a bag or anything.” Keith’s voice did not sound chipper like Lance’s when he asked the girl.

 

She shook her head no as she paid with thirty dollars and gladly accepted the change and receipt from Keith’s bored look. “Smile, Keith. Smile.” Shiro leaned in, whispering loudly in his ear, pressing a finger on each cheek dimple to embarrass his baby brother.

Keith heard the girl snicker at Shiro’s distressing his little brother in front of the young girl who made a look that said _listen to this beefy guy, smiling goes a long way._

Keith forced his lips to pry open into what seemed like a smile, but the canines in each corner made him look more feral than friendly. “Have a nice day, welcome back.” He said as the girl turned on her heel to walk out the store, but before she could start walking, she turned back. “On second thought, I wouldn't mind a bag. I need to go into another store and shop for…”   
One thing Keith figured out working in retail was, the customers never shut up about their daily lives. He fished a bag from under the counter and handed it her, breaking into a new smile that seemed more relaxed this time.   
“Thanks! And nice smile this time.” She cooed, and earned a respectable wink from Shiro before she finally left the store.

 

“You know you forgot to charge her for the bag.” Keith heard his brother remind him.   
“Fuck, is that a bad thing? And they seriously cost money? The bags!?” Keith made a ridiculous look as he stared at the white bag that said Voltron Tomes in black and white letters surrounded by streaks of red, yellow, blue and green.   
Shiro nodded at his brother, crossing his burly arms. “Yup, they’re going to deduct ten cents from your paycheck now, hope you remembered to add a bag on the register the other times. You know, they keep track of your service history every time you log in.” Shiro bit back a barking laugh, fucking with his brother and enjoying the view of a more distressed Keith.

“No way, I gave like ten people free bags yesterday. I have to stop being so nice.” Keith let out, and Shiro released that barked laugh when Keith called himself nice.

“Oh man, you crack me up bro. I’m kidding. But they are strict with the bags so just remember to add it on the register when they ask for one. And if they come back…” Shiro contemplated his answer because some customers often became difficult when they learn they have to pay up even after they bought something. “Just go with the flow, I guess.”  
“You guess. Okay…”

 

Keith slid his phone out of his back pocket when the store didn’t have any customers, trying to find a certain chipper tan boy on Tinder. “Hey, that Lance guy who works here. Saw he had swiped me on the app, but I can’t find him anymore..” Keith made a sour face. “Do you know if he deleted the app, or if he put himself on private...or maybe he re-swiped me left. God dammit..” Keith was clicking hard on his app. “I’ll need to take better pics..” He muttered to himself.   
“I’m positive the photos aren’t the problem to why he deleted the app. Little bro.” Shiro smiled as he looked up at the ceiling, thinking about how he had deleted his own app when he met Adam during his first shift here.


	8. Small Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has his first shift with Keith

Lance was having his first shift with Keith, showing him the ropes of the register and the computer systems they used, of how  _ he _ meant you could work them, not Shiro. Shiro was too manic and too uptight about doing everything by the book. Keith was a fast learner so they had nothing else to do besides talk. 

 

This was perfect, Lance thought, and prayed a customer didn’t walk into the store wanting to buy anything and interrupt him wanting to get to know his new coworker. Only for that reason. Not because he was incredibly hot while wearing their uniform, he looked so nice in red. 

 

Lance perked up from the monitor. “So do you like reading?”

“Isn’t that like a mandatory thing when you apply for a job at a bookstore?”

“Trust me, I know a few who are good with their mouths and haven’t read a single book.” 

“Are they good at anything else with their mouths?” Keith countered. 

 

_ Shit. Fuck. Help. He’s funny.  _

 

Keith smiles playfully at Lance. “I like comics.” 

“Like the manga kind or the superhero kind?”

“More like the better than both those two kind. Heard of  _ Saga, _ by Image?” 

 

Lance had to wrack his brain of all the comics he had read in his life. Very little he concluded. “No.” 

 

Keith’s indigo eyes burst into flames as he went onto the computer to search for the comic and check if it were in stock in their store. Lance read his mind, and decided to waltz pass the register into the store since he knew the store by heart and could walk around it blind if he wanted to. 

 

“We don’t have it, Keith.” Keith made a groan while he was still clicking.

“You’re gonna have to borrow it from me, I’ll bring it by the next shift we have together.”   
“Sweet. But you can put in a couple orders of the comic if you love it so much, then you can recommend it to the customers, I want to see that mouth in action.” He cooed, giving Keith a thumbs up, and biting his lower lip. 

 

Lance caught a hint of red dusting Keith’s cheeks.  _ Bingpot. _


	9. I'll take my business elswhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might seem mean....but I had the shittiest boss ever....

It was a busy Saturday afternoon at Voltron Tomes. Since Iverson was the shop’s manager, he usually didn’t work Saturday shifts, but with almost everyone sick with a contagious virus going around, he was left working the shift, and with Lance and Keith of all people. 

 

He groaned. Then smiled brightly when a customer spilled into the store looking pleased and ready to buy what they had to offer. 

 

“How can I help you today my good sir.” Iverson perked up from behind the counter, shooting a side-glare at Lance and Keith snickering on each his side. 

 

They made looks at each other, but scrambled away from the register when he made a loud annoyed grunt at them. The customer planted his hands on his hips, leaning in towards Iverson wearing a curious, smug smile. He felt like the man looked familiar but he couldn’t quite put his tongue on who. 

 

One of his hands shot to his chin as he made a blinding smile. “I was wondering if you guys sold the brand new book  _ Some like it very, very hot! _ by Slav the Almighty. It’s all what they’re talking about on the news, I’m sure you know exactly which book I’m talking about, I must - MUST have it!” The man locked his honey colored eyes on Keith for a brief second, and Keith tried to stifle a cry while he put a couple books back on the shelf next to the counter. 

 

On the other end of the store, Iverson caught Lance doubling over grabbing his stomach and holding in a breath. Was he laughing at him, Iverson thought. He’ll find this book he’d never heard of before and prove to these jokesters who’s the boss of this place. 

 

“Why of course, I know exactly which book you’re talking about, young man. Just give me two seconds to search it up and see if there are any left.” Iverson tried punching in the title, but it said that it didn’t exist, and now he said he knew about the book and didn’t know what to do with the customer, because the customer was always right. 

 

“Well…I’m waiting. You seem like a man of knowledge, I hope you know where to find it and bring it to me and put it in my hands.” The young man made a handsome face, running his fingers through his jaw-length light brown hair. 

“I’m sorry to say young man, but we seem to be out of stock of the book you are looking for. I can recommend a different book or-”

“Outrageous! This is the most popular book as of this day, and you don’t have any left in _your_ store! I’m appalled, shocked, heart-broken! I guess I’ll take my book buying business elsewhere, good day  _ un _ kind sir!” The young man made a spectacle in the shop and pulled the gazes to every other customer to look at Iverson with skeptical looks. 

“I’m sure one of my coworkers forgot to order in more copies! I’ll tell them at once to be better at..” But the young man ignored him, and flashed a wink and a wicked grin at the boys hiding from their boss on his way out. 

 

Lance and Keith had run to the secret corner in the shop to hide from Iverson’s shocked stare when the man stormed out of the shop, and tried extremely hard to hold in their laughs and giggles. 

 

“Lance you’re so fucking mean getting Pidge’s brother to fuck with Iverson like that.”    
“What...man deserves it..he has no use in working or even running a bookstore.”   
“Yeah, but…”

“No buts, we’re getting this guy out of here. I’m sick of being treated as an unequal, we all have the same value in this store, and he needs to learn that he can take the fall too and not pin it on his coworkers.” Lance craned his neck from around the secret corner to meet a fiery gaze from their boss. 

“The war is on..Iverson.” Lance said low.  


	10. Break my heart why don't you

During a calm Wednesday afternoon shift. With Allura keeping the cashier guard, smiling and helping the incoming herds of customers. Keith and Lance were restocking the YA section, and writing down their recommendations on the store chain’s own made stickers. 

 

Keith pulled up a fantasy title he knew Lance loved which he mentioned once during one of their shifts last week and handed him the book after he stuck a sticker on it implying the sun kissed boy to write a recommendation. 

 

“How did you know?” Lance smiled when Keith handed him the book. 

 

A splatter of red found his cheeks, and had to look down into the package of new books to avoid being caught. “I have a good memory, McClain.” He muttered, then placed two new books in their respective places on the shelves. 

 

He caught a hint of a new smile on Lance and felt a sudden rapid thump in his chest. 

 

Two pre-teen kids found their way into the YA section, ignoring Keith and Lance doing their jobs. “I can’t believe she even likes these things...Like, who reads today when we have Netflix?” The first pre-teen said in a snide tone. 

 

The other pre-teen grabbed the title Keith had handed Lance, and snorted when he read the recommendation out loud. “Sheesh, this Lance kid needs to get a life. This book looks like it sucks ass.” 

 

Keith dared a look at Lance, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw a sad face on his coworker having one of his favorite books being dragged by a stupid pre-teen low life kid. 

 

“Hey! Either buy a book or move on...we’re working here.” Keith sternly said to the two pre-teens still dragging on other books they found on the shelf. 

 

The kid started laughing in Keith’s face and put the books not back in their rightful place, back-talking him on their way out of the store. 

 

“Thanks, Keith. You didn’t need to do that though. They’re just stupid kids, we get them all the time.” Lance said calmly, landing a hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

 

Keith took the book that was misplaced, looking at the cover with a nice smile. “Right, sorry. Just felt like I needed to defend your awesome taste in books.” He released a quick wink and rushed to a customer who needed help. 

 

Lance stayed put, holding one of his favorite books close to his chest trying to calm his beating heart, because he was falling really hard for his coworker. 

 


End file.
